This invention relates generally to machinery and techniques for packaging material, and to packages and components thereof.
The use of plastic bags and pouches has become widespread for storing and transporting material. Liquid, particles, and other forms of material are being packaged this way. A significant application is for packaging food products. As an example, wine and milk are packaged in a flexible plastic bag that is contained in a cardboard box. A dispenser attached to the bag extends through the box in order to allow manual operation of a dispenser valve to withdraw liquid from the bag.
The specific processes for forming and filling such plastic bags are many. One technique is to use a continuous roll of thin plastic material that is formed into a tube by a filling machine, sealed along its length to form a tube, and then periodically sealed by a filling machine across its width. Material to be packaged is placed in the tube at the sealed location, and its top is then sealed. The formed and filled bag is then cut away from the rest of the continuous tube to provide a sealed package of material. A dispenser is optionally attached to the outside of the bag, depending upon the particular application.
Another technique is to first, before filling, form sealed bags from plastic material with a fill spout attached to each bag through one wall of the bag. The bag is then filled through the fill spout. Closing of the bag is achieved by attaching a dispenser to the fill spout after filling, thereby to complete the operation.
Another technique is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,529--Pongrass, et al. (1986). There, a continuous web of individual bags is formed from plastic sheet material in a manner that each bag is initially completely sealed. Any dispenser or fitment for a dispenser that is attached to the bag by the filling machine and is not attached through the wall of the bag. Rather, the system is of a type where the bag is punctured by the user when the dispenser is first operated to extract material from the bag. The bag is loaded by forming a slit along a portion of one end and then inserting a nozzle through the slit when the bag is held vertically. Material enters the bag through the nozzle. When the bag is full, the nozzle is withdrawn, and the bag slit is sealed.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a bag filling technique and apparatus that improves the speed at which bags can be filled, simplifies the procedure and reduces the likelihood of malfunction.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved bag structure and technique for filling it.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved technique and apparatus for attaching to bags dispensers and/or fitments therefore.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus and technique for aseptic filling of plastic bags.